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Microsoft Purview Data Governance vs Netwrix Data Classification comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Purview Data Gove...
Ranking in Data Governance
1st
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Microsoft Security Suite (10th)
Netwrix Data Classification
Ranking in Data Governance
29th
Average Rating
0.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Data Governance category, the mindshare of Microsoft Purview Data Governance is 11.5%, down from 21.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Netwrix Data Classification is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Governance Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Purview Data Governance11.5%
Netwrix Data Classification1.4%
Other87.1%
Data Governance
 

Featured Reviews

AS
Tech lead at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Automated data discovery has streamlined management while configuration remains complex
Compared to Big-ID, Microsoft Purview Data Governance looks complicated to me. I do not feel it has a good user-level UI. The interface feels a little complicated compared to Big-ID. I did not appreciate the configuration part. It felt complex, whereas when I went for a Big-ID demo, the interface looked better and was easier to understand for any user.
Simonas Palevicius - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Development Manager at BAKOTECH
A comprehensive data classification and information security solution that offers robust functionality, scalability, and competitive pricing
The standout aspect of this solution is its price performance. It's highly flexible and scalable, offering customers the choice to match their needs and budget. It is also user-friendly and effective. Even if you opt for just one module, such as Active Directory, you'll immediately see automated, valuable insights when you install and run the auditor. From a network perspective, it offers an array of well-structured rules. Unlike other systems that require extensive configurations, Netwrix simplifies the process. It's more intuitive and forgiving, meaning you don't need to be an expert to get value from it. Its strength lies in its predefined rules that generate automated reports and more without requiring in-depth knowledge of the system.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The user interface is highly intuitive and user-friendly."
"The time to onboard is pretty short."
"I like the integrated tool and integrated benefits in Microsoft Purview Data Governance."
"The audit log has been a lifesaver for a lot of reasons. Historically, when using SaaS products, there were always questions about how the audit was going and whether we were sufficient out of the box. Purview has many capabilities available through centralized reporting that provide a view of a specific segment."
"The reporting is excellent. Limiting what people can see is also valuable, especially when tagging documents."
"Microsoft Purview's primary benefit lies in safeguarding sensitive and confidential data, thereby mitigating the risk of internal data exfiltration."
"Instead of having to manually write down which tables and columns exist and then describe them, you can do that process in one go, by simply connecting to a source. That's a huge time-saver and a great benefit of Purview."
"It is critical that Purview delivers data protection across multi-cloud and multi-platform environments. That is the number one reason that people are adopting hybrid and best-of-the-breed approaches. Especially in banking, it is critical because people want to protect, govern, and secure their data. This is one of the first conversations that happens with security and the architecture group on the client side."
"It's highly flexible and scalable, offering customers the choice to match their needs and budget."
"Netwrix Data Classification Manager finds the data in a very efficient manner, and the efficacy of the solution is very good."
 

Cons

"I have some concerns about the separation of roles in Purview from the Microsoft tenant, as well as how they interact with the security portal and endpoint manager."
"It is lacking a bit because I've opened some tickets, and it's taken months to resolve, or I've never even had them resolved."
"We have had some issues automating our document management with Power Apps. I haven't been super-disappointed with anything except for Power Apps, which kinda drives me nuts. I think it's because I am a coder who can do things properly, and I keep trying to do things there, but it's not working out the way. The security team is pretty quick. I'm kind of a thorn in their side. I always try to get around stuff. They haven't come to me for anything saying, "Hey, I can't find this information." They're pretty good. Maybe, there's a lack of documentation, but that doesn't seem to be an issue for our team."
"Running eDiscovery once a day takes quite a long time because it has to fetch your data. I also want the eDiscovery results to be improved. At the same time, I would like to get a centralized page where I could see records management applied to my Office 365 tenant visualized instead of waiting for a custom script to run through the complete tenant."
"It could reduce pricing to encourage usage."
"Frequent daily updates from Microsoft can cause interface elements like buttons to appear and disappear, making navigation unpredictable."
"Some of the menu headings may not be easy to understand for some people."
"he one thing it doesn't do is data quality."
"Netwrix Data Classification Manager is very good at network data classification, but it also has to work on endpoint data classification because clients ask for it."
"One of the key issues is its interface and querying capabilities, which can be complex, making it difficult to interpret logs."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Aside from the complexity of the pricing model, the price itself is realistic. Features like AI components and automatic classification require additional licenses. Still, anyone can start using Purview with a basic E3 license if they're using Microsoft 365 and grow with additional licenses as needed. Overall, we're satisfied with the price."
"Purview is included in our Microsoft E5 licensing."
"The categorization within the licensing could be improved. There are a lot of solutions within Microsoft Purview. If the licensing could be a bit clearer and the solutions could be better categorized according to function and across multiple environments, that would be excellent. The licensing is very confusing."
"The pricing depends on the client's requirements and the number of applications."
"While Purview's standard pricing might not be accessible to most small businesses, we were fortunate to benefit from the educational pricing which made it a financially viable option for our needs."
"The price is a little bit high, but it's worth the money because it has a lot of features."
"Microsoft Purview is a subscription-based service, so we need either an E3 or E5 license to use it."
"The price is reasonable considering its value."
"Netwrix Data Classification Manager has an affordable price."
"The initial pricing might seem reasonable, but costs can quickly escalate when adding components."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise32
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure Purview?
It is designed to seamlessly connect to various data sources, which is particularly beneficial for our customers who primarily use Microsoft technologies.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure Purview?
Microsoft Purview Data Governance is quite affordable compared to other market solutions, which have high initial costs. It allows for a cost-effective start with negligible initial cost. However, ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure Purview?
Compared to Big-ID, Microsoft Purview Data Governance looks complicated to me. I do not feel it has a good user-level UI. The interface feels a little complicated compared to Big-ID. I did not appr...
What do you like most about Netwrix Data Classification Manager?
Netwrix Data Classification Manager finds the data in a very efficient manner, and the efficacy of the solution is very good.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Netwrix Data Classification Manager?
Netwrix Data Classification Manager has an affordable price. Since the solution is priced according to the client's market size, everybody can afford it.
What needs improvement with Netwrix Data Classification Manager?
Netwrix Data Classification Manager is very good at network data classification, but it also has to work on endpoint data classification because clients ask for it. Although the solution is easy to...
 

Also Known As

Microsoft Purview, MS Azure Purview
No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Purview Data Governance vs. Netwrix Data Classification and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
883,546 professionals have used our research since 2012.